Suppression of cancer growth and metastasis using nordihydroguaiaretic acid derivatives with metabolic modulators

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a composition comprising a derivative of NDGA and at least one metabolic modulator. The composition can be in a unit dose form or kit. The composition can comprise at least two metabolic modulators. Also disclosed are methods for achieving cytotoxicity, particularly of rapidly dividing cells such as cancer, by administering a composition of the invention. In various embodiments of the invention subjects with cancer achieve prolonged survival and/or diminution in the size of their malignancies and cancer metastasis.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a U.S. national stage application of PCT /US2009/030459, filedJan. 8, 2009, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication 61/010,371, filed Jan. 8, 2008, and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication 61/191,827, filed Sep. 12, 2008, each of which isincorporated by reference in its entirety.This application is a reissueof a U.S. Pat. No. 9,149,526, U.S. Ser. No. 12/812,196, filed Sep. 30,2010, which was a 35 U.S.C. § 371 U.S. national entry of InternationalApplication PCT/US2009/030459, having an international filing date ofJan. 8, 2009, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional ApplicationNos. 61/010,371, filed Jan. 8, 2008, and 61/191,827, filed Sep. 12,2008, the content of each of the aforementioned applications is hereinincorporated by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the use of nordihydroguaiaretic acidderivatives together with one or more metabolic modulators to treatcancer, prevent metastasis, and prolong the life of a mammal afflictedwith a tumor.

BACKGROUND

Carcinogenesis is a multistage event affected by a variety of geneticand epigenetic factors and is typified by the outbreak of uncontrolledcell growth originated from different tissues. A universal goal foranticancer research lies in the development of a clinical treatment thatis highly effective in curtailment of tumor growth, non-toxic to thehost, and is affordable for most patients. Drugs that inhibit targetsthat are unique to dividing cells, particularly cells dividing in anuncontrolled manner, are an ideal paradigm for chemotherapeutic agents,the greater the specificity to cells that are dividing in anuncontrolled manner the lower the risk of attendant side effects.

Under normal conditions cells in our bodies are involved in a balancedsystem of programmed growth, division, rest, and death. The regulationof these cellular pathways is essential in order to maintain tissueviability and bodily health. The transition of a healthy cell to aprecancerous or cancerous cell is initiated by the disruption of theseregulatory pathways. Cancer cells then redirect the cellular systems toallow for uncontrolled cell growth, replication, and/or resistance toprogrammed cell death (apoptosis).

Caspases are one means of inducing apoptosis. Apoptosis is regulated bythe inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family of proteins, throughtheir inhibition of caspase-induced cell death. One of the IAP familymembers, survivin, is overexpressed in pre-cancerous and cancerouscells, and rarely found in healthy adult cells. By their high survivinexpression, tumor cells are prevented from entering the caspase-inducedcell death pathway that would lead to their destruction. Survivin is oneof the targets currently being tested for anticancer therapy.

Another mechanism by which tumor cells grow uncontrollably is byderegulating their cell cycle process. Cdc2 (cyclin-dependent kinase-1)is one of several kinase proteins controlling cell division and isfrequently de-regulated in cancer cells. Cdc2 is also involved in theactivation of survivin. In addition, growing tumors require a constantsupply of essential nutrients and oxygen. Cancer cells achieve theirnutrient needs by secreting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) toinduce new blood vessel formation within the tumor mass.

Proteins such as those mentioned above are involved in the regulation ofthe signaling pathways that control cell growth, division and death.Some of these proteins are significantly altered in cancer cells. Theprocess of converting the gene sequence on DNA to an RNA message (aprocess called transcription) that can then be converted to protein (aprocess called translation) is essential to the regulation of proteinproduction.

Cells pass through many checkpoints as they proceed through the cellcycle. Certain criteria must be met in order to pass each of thesecheckpoints. In the G2/M transition, the most essential regulator is thecyclin-dependent kinase CDC2. This kinase binds tightly to theregulatory protein cyclin B, and this complex, also called thematuration promoting factor (MPF), is responsible for stimulating amyriad of events that lead to the cell's entry into early prophase (1).Not surprisingly, the loss or deactivation of either component of theMPF will block cellular progression out of G2.

The expression and activity of the MPF is regulated at different levels.Cyclin B protein levels slowly rise through the G1 and S phases of thecell cycle, peak during the G2 to M phase transition, and drop sharplyduring mitosis (2). The CDC2 protein, on the other hand, is alwayspresent during the cell cycle, although levels rise slightly in the laststages of the G2 phase (3). The activity of the protein is dependent onthe association with the appropriate cyclin, as well as on thedephosphorylation of its inhibitory sites by the phosphatase CDC25C (4,5). It has been shown that the failure of this dephosphorylationinitiates G2 arrest in response to DNA damage by radiation or chemicalaction. Recent evidence also suggests that any remaining active CDC2 maybe transported outside the nucleus following DNA damage (6).

Survivin is an inhibitor of apoptosis that is abundantly expressed inmany human cancers (7), but not in normal adult human tissue, and isconsidered a possible modulator of the terminal effector phase of celldeath/survival. (8). Survivin is expressed in G₂-M in a cellcycle-dependent manner, binding directly to mitotic spindlemicrotubules. It appears that survivin phosphorylation on Thr34 may berequired to maintain cell viability at cell division (9), and expressionof a phosphorylation-defective survivin mutant has been shown to triggerapoptosis in several human melanoma cell lines (10), Phosphorylatedsurvivin acts on the caspase pathway to suppress the formation ofcaspase-3 and caspase-9, thereby inhibiting apoptosis. (11) Althoughcompounds that reduce the expression of survivin will be expected toincrease the rate of apoptosis and cell death, CDC-2 has been shown tobe necessary for survivin phosphorylation (9). In addition, theactivation of caspases is a time-dependent event as it occurs slowly,quite often inefficiently.

A number of naturally occurring derivatives of the plant lignannordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) have been shown to block viralreplication through the inhibition of viral transcription. NDGA isextracted from the resin of the leaves of Larrea tridentata, a desertbush indigenous to the southwestern US and Mexico. Derivatives of NDGAcan inhibit the production of HIV (12, 13), HSV (14), and HPVtranscripts (15) by the deactivation of their Sp1-dependent promoters.Isolation and purification of plant lignans, however, is labor intensiveand costly. In anticipation of the possible clinical use of plantlignans in controlling Sp1-regulated viral and tumor growth in humans,nine different methylated NDGA activities were synthesized chemicallyusing unmethylated NDGA as the parent substrate in large quantities withlow cost (12).

Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (M₄N, EM1421, Terameprocol), is the synthetictetra-methylated derivative of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (tetra-O-methylnordihydroguaiaretic acid, abbreviated as M₄N), The chemical structureof M₄N was designed to make it pharmacologically distinct from NDGA. M₄Nhas been shown to possess antiviral (12, 14) and anti-cancer (16)activities in cultured cells, in mouse models (16, 17), and in humanxenografts in nude mice (18). M₄N causes cell cycle arrest at the G2phase of the cell cycle probably by suppressing Sp-1 regulated cdkexpression (16, 19). M₄N has been in Phase I clinical trials in patientsby intravenous infusion (CLINICAL TRIALS.GOV, A service of U.S. NIH).

Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) derivatives such as M₄N suppress Sp1regulated transcription of viral genes, by deactivation of Sp1-dependentpromoters. SP1 also affects expression of many growth-related genes.Cdc2 (also referred to as CDK1) and cyclin B interact to allow cells tomove from the G2 phase of cell division to mitosis. M₄N blocks thetranscription of Cdc2, and thus blocks cell division. The Sp1 protein onpromoter of CDC2 chromatin is replaced following M₄N treatment in vivo.

M₄N is able to induce cell cycle arrest in mammalian cell lines; M₄N isa transcription inhibitor. It selectively reduces transcription ofgrowth related genes that have promoters controlled by the Sp1 factor,such as cdc2, survivin and VEGP. By blocking production of cdc2, andVEGF, M₄N inhibits tumor growth and starves tumors by restricting growthof their blood supply.

M₄N has been shown to arrest growth of a variety of human cells invitro, the majority of which are part of the NCI panel of 60 cancer celllines, including solid tumor cell lines (bladder, breast, colorectal,liver, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate and cervical carcinomas), anderythroleukemia cells. In vivo, M₄N also decreases tumor cell growth andexhibits antitumor activity in a large number of tumor xenograft models,including human bladder, breast, colorectal liver, ovarian, pancreatic,prostate and cervical carcinomas, and erythroleukemia, without apparenttoxicity. M₄N has a broad spectrum of activity in anti-cancer therapy,having affects on Cdc2, HIF-1α, MDR1, VEGF and survivin. For example,M₄N induces apoptosis and reduces cdc2 protein levels in human oralcancers. M₄N also appears to reduce survivin levels in these cancers.Administered systemically, M₄N was also shown to inhibit xenograftedhuman tumors MCF-7, Hep3b, LNCaP, HT-29, and K562. Although none of thexenograft tumors were fully eradicated.

M₄N does not appear toxic to animals. For example, M₄N retention inmouse organs following oral administration has been studied after shortterm and long term feeding, the results showed essentially no toxiceffects even at concentrations high as 906 μg/g of tissue. On daily (1mg/day) IV injection of M₄N for days, M₄N accumulated in blood andtumors to levels above 1 mM in nude mice carrying human tumorxenografts.

By use of gene array studies with 9600 expressed genes. Applicantspreviously found products of most Sp1 regulated genes remained atsimilar levels, and not affected by the drug treatment of cervicalcancer cells C3 in culture.

M₄N has some favorable therapeutic qualities, in that it exhibitsefficacy against several tumors, by inhibiting cell growth. However, inhuman clinical trials, treatment with M₄N does not generally eradicatedisease, and upon cessation of treatment with M₄N tumors are capable ofgrowing back. Accordingly, there is a need to identify ways to boost theefficacy of the M₄N when the type of cancer is aggressive, metastatic orwhen M₄N as a single drug in low concentration is not enough to inducerapid apoptosis of such type of cancers.

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application60/010,371, filed Jan. 8, 2008, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application61/191,827, filed Sep. 12, 2008, each of which is incorporated byreference in its entirety.

SUMMARY

As set forth herein, M₄N and related derivatives of nordihydroguaiareticacid have been used in combination with metabolic inhibitors to produceexcellent results in tumor treatment, including prolonged patientsurvival as well as cytotoxicity to malignant cells.

Accordingly, it is one object to provide a pharmaceutical compositioncomprising an effective amount of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) or aderivative thereof of formula I:

wherein R₁, R₂, R₃ and R₄ independently represent hydroxy, a straight orbranched chain lower alkyl or alkoxy, an amino acid residue, asubstituted amino acid residue, a nitrogen-containing 5- or 6-memberedheterocyclic ring or a saccharide residue; the amino acid residue,substituted amino acid residue, nitrogen-containing 5 or 6 memberedheterocyclic ring or saccharide residue being optionally joined to thephenyl ring by a linker of an oxygen atom and 1-10 carbon atoms, and aneffective amount of a metabolic modulator.

In one specific embodiment, the pharmaceutical composition comprises theNDGA derivative tetra-o-methyl tetra-O-methyl nordihydroguaiaretic acid(M₄N). In another specific embodiment, the pharmaceutical compositioncomprises the NDGA derivative maltose M₃N (90). In other specificembodiments, R₁, R₂, R₃ and R₄ are identical and represent straight orbranched chain lower alkoxy groups or naturally occurring amino acidresidues.

The metabolic modulator can be selected, for example from the groupconsisting of an inhibitor of the PDK-1/PI3K/AKT pathway, an inhibitorof the PKCδ/topoisomerase IIα pathway, an inhibitor of mitochondrialpermeability transition, and an inhibitor of the mitogen-activatedprotein kinase (MAPK/RAS) pathway, or any other metabolic modulatorswhich can systematically induce translocation of phosphorylated PCKδ tothe nucleus of tumor cells. Examples of such metabolic inhibitors areLy294002, etoposide, Rottlerin, dichloroacetate, cetuximab, trastuzumab,bevacizumab and rapamyein.

In certain preferred embodiments, the metabolic inhibitor is etoposide,rapamycin, rottlerin and/or water soluble derivatives thereof, such astemsirolimus, everolimus and other selected molecular targeting agentsin clinical development (Nature Reviews Drug Discovery vol 5, p 650,2006).

Also provided is a method of treating a tumor, comprising administeringto a mammal in need of treatment an effective amount of theabove-described pharmaceutical composition. The mammal can be any mammalafflicted with a tumor amenable to treatment, for example a human,nonhuman primate, cat, dog, mouse, etc. The tumor may be a solid orhematological tumor, benign or malignant (metastatic or non-metastatic),such as, for example, breast, liver, prostate, cervical, ovarian, colon,brain, pancreatic, bladder esophagus, gut, head and neck, kidney,melanoma, stomach, testes, thyroid, uterine and lung cancers, leukemiasand lymphomas, such as acute myelogenous leukemia, acute or chroniclymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and myelomas.Persons of skill in the art will be able to determine by routineexperimentation the types of tumors that are amenable to treatment. Thetreatment method is particularly suitable for treatment of metastaticand nonmetastatic cancer.

Also provided is a method of preventing or inhibiting tumor growth in ananimal, said method comprising administering an effective amount ofnordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) or a derivative thereof of formula I:

wherein R₁, R₂, R₃ and R₄ independently represent hydroxy, a straight orbranched chain lower alkyl or alkoxy, an amino acid residue, asubstituted amino acid residue, a nitrogen-containing 5- or 6-memberedheterocyclic ring or a saccharide residue; the amino acid residue,substituted amino acid residue, nitrogen-containing 5 or 6 memberedheterocyclic ring or saccharide residue being optionally joined to thephenyl ring by a linker of an oxygen atom and 1-10 carbon atoms, and aneffective amount of a metabolic modulator.

In one specific embodiment, the NDGA derivative is tetra-o-methyltetra-O-methyl nordihydroguaiaretic acid (M₄N). In another specificembodiment, the NDGA derivative is maltose M₃N (90). In other specificembodiments, R₁, R₂, R₃ and R₄ are identical and represent straight orbranched chain lower alkoxy groups or naturally occurring amino acidresidues.

The mammal can be any mammal afflicted with a tumor amenable totreatment, for example a human, nonhuman primate, cat, dog, mouse, etc.The metabolic inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of aninhibitor of the PDK-1/PI3K/AKT pathway, an inhibitor of thePKCδ/topoisomerase IIα pathway, an inhibitor of mitochondrialpermeability transition, and an inhibitor of the mitogen-activatedprotein kinase (MAPK/RAS) pathway. For example, the metabolic inhibitoris selected from the group consisting of Ly294002, etoposide, Rottlerin,dichloroacetate, cetuximab, trastuzumab, bevacizumab and rapamycin.Etoposide, rapamycin, and water soluble derivatives thereof are expectedto be particularly effective.

The tumor may be a solid or hematological tumor, benign or malignant(metastatic or nonmetastatic), such as, for example, breast, prostate,cervical, ovarian, colon, brain, pancreatic and lung cancers, leukemiasand lymphomas, and others mentioned hereinabove. Persons of skill in theart will be able to determine by routine experimentation the types oftumors that are amenable to treatment. The treatment method isparticularly suitable for treatment of metastatic and non-metastaticcancer.

Also provided is a method of preventing tumor metastasis in a mammal,said method comprising administering an effective amount ofnordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) or a derivative thereof of formula I:

wherein R₁, R₂, R₃ and R₄ independently represent hydroxy, a straight orbranched chain lower alkyl or alkoxy, an amino acid residue, asubstituted amino acid residue and a saccharide residue; the amino acidresidue, substituted amino acid residue or saccharide residue beingoptionally joined to the phenyl ring by a linker of an oxygen atom and1-10 carbon atoms;and an effective amount of a metabolic modulator.

In one specific embodiment, the NDGA derivative is tetra-o-methyltetra-O-methyl nordihydroguaiaretic acid (M₄N),. In another specificembodiment, the NDGA derivative is maltose M₃N (90). In other specificembodiments, R₁, R₂, R₃ and R₄ are identical and represent straight orbranched chain lower alkoxy groups or naturally occurring amino acidresidues.

The mammal can be any mammal afflicted with a tumor amenable totreatment, for example a human, nonhuman primate, cat, dog, mouse, etc.The metabolic inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of aninhibitor of the PDK-1/PI3K/AKT pathway, an inhibitor of thePKCδ/topoisomerase IIα pathway, an inhibitor of mitochondrialpermeability transition, and an inhibitor of the mitogen-activatedprotein kinase (MAPK/RAS) pathway. For example, the metabolic inhibitoris selected from the group consisting of Ly294002, etoposide, Rottlerin,dichloroacetate, cetuximab, trastuzumab, bevaeizumab and rapamycin,Etoposide, rapamycin, and water soluble derivatives thereof are expectedto be particularly effective.

The tumor may be a solid or hematological tumor, such as, for example,breast, prostate, cervical, ovarian, colon, brain, pancreatic and lungcancers, leukemias and lymphomas, and others mentioned hereinabove.Persons of skill in the art will be able to determine by routineexperimentation the types of tumors that are amenable to treatment.

Treatment may be administered alone, or as an adjuvant to surgery, e.g.before surgery, for example, to reduce tumor size, and/or followingsurgery to reduce the possibility of metastases, e.g. by inhibition ofthe growth and migration of circulating tumor cells through the bloodstream.

The invention also provides a method of prolonging the life of a mammalhaving a malignant tumor, said method comprising administering to themammal an effective amount of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) or aderivative thereof of formula I:

wherein R₁, R₂, R₃ and R₄ independently represent hydroxy, a straight orbranched chain lower alkyl or alkoxy, an amino acid residue, asubstituted amino acid residue, and a saccharide residue; the amino acidresidue, substituted amino acid residue or saccharide residue beingoptionally joined to the phenyl ring by a linker of an oxygen atom and1-10 carbon atoms;and an effective amount of a metabolic modulator.

In one specific embodiment, the NDGA derivative is tetra-o-methyltetra-O-methyl nordihydroguaiaretic acid (M₄N),. In another specificembodiment, the NDGA derivative is maltose M₃N (90). In other specificembodiments, R₁, R₂, R₃ and R₄ are identical and represent straight orbranched chain lower alkoxy groups or naturally occurring amino acidresidues.

The mammal can be any mammal afflicted with a tumor amenable totreatment, for example a human, nonhuman primate, cat, dog, mouse, etc.The metabolic inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of aninhibitor of the PDK-1/PI3K/AKT pathway, an inhibitor of thePKCδ/topoisomerase IIα pathway, an inhibitor of mitochondrialpermeability transition, and an inhibitor of the mitogen-activatedprotein kinase (MAPK/RAS) pathway. For example, the metabolic inhibitoris selected from the group consisting of Ly294002, etoposide, Rottlerin,dichloroacetate, cetuximab, trastuzumab, bevacizumab and rapamycin.Etoposide, rapamycin, and water soluble derivatives thereof are expectedto be particularly effective.

The tumor may be a solid or hematological tumor, such as, for example,breast, prostate, cervical, ovarian, colon, brain, pancreatic and lungcancers, leukemias and lymphomas, and other tumors mentionedhereinabove. Persons of skill in the art will be able to determine byroutine experimentation the types of tumors that are amenable totreatment.

Formulations and Administration Suitable for IV, IP, Topical and OralApplication.

Pharmaceutical compositions in accordance with the invention, are usefulfor diagnosis, prognosis, prophylaxis or treatment of a condition.Accordingly, compositions in accordance with the invention are useful asa drug or as information for structural modification of existingcompounds, e.g., by rational drug design. Compounds and methods of theinvention are useful for screening compounds having an effect on avariety of conditions.

For therapeutic uses, the compositions or agents identified using themethods disclosed herein may be administered systemically, for example,formulated in a pharmaceutically-acceptable buffer such as physiologicalsaline. Preferable routes of administration include, for example,subcutaneous, intravenous, intraperitoneally, intramuscular, orintradermal injections that provide continuous, sustained levels of thedrug in the patient. Treatment of human patients or other animals aregenerally carried out using a therapeutically effective amount of atherapeutic of the invention in a physiologically-acceptable carrier.Suitable carriers and their formulation are described, for example, inRemington's Pharmaceutical Sciences by E. W. Martin.

The amount of the therapeutic agent to be administered varies dependingupon the manner of administration, the age and body weight of thesubject/patient, and with the subject's symptoms and condition. Acompound is administered at a dosage that best achieves medical goalswith the fewest corresponding side effects.

Administration

The pharmaceutical compositions of this invention including biologicallyactive fragments, variants, or analogs thereof, can be administered byany suitable routes including intracranial, intracerebral,intraventricular, intrathecal, intraspinal, oral, topical, rectal,transdermal, subcutaneous, intravenous, intramuscular, intranasal, andthe like. In one embodiment, the compositions are added to a retainedphysiological fluid, such as cerebrospinal fluid, blood, or synovialfluid. The compositions of the invention can be amenable to directinjection or infusion at a site of disease or injury.

Compositions for parenteral use may be provided in unit dosage forms(e.g., in single-dose ampules), or in vials containing several doses andin which a suitable preservative may be added. The composition may be inthe form of a solution, a suspension, an emulsion, an infusion device,or a delivery device for implantation, or it may be presented as adry-powder to be reconstituted with water or another suitable vehiclebefore use. The composition may include suitable parenterally acceptablecarriers and/or excipients.

In one approach, a therapeutic of the invention is provided within animplant, such as an osmotic pump, or in a graft comprising appropriatelytransformed cells. Methods of introduction may also be provided byrechargeable or biodegradable devices. Various slow release polymericdevices have been developed and tested for the controlled delivery ofdrugs, including proteinaeious biopharmaceuticals. A variety ofbiocompatible polymers (including hydrogels), including bothbiodegradable and non-degradable polymers, can be used to form animplant for the sustained release of a bioactive factor at a particulartarget site.

Generally, the amount of administered agent of the invention (dosage)will be empirically determined in accordance with information andprotocols known in the art. Typically agents are administered in therange of about 10 μg/kg to 100 mg/kg of the recipient. Other additivesmay be included, such as stabilizers, bactericides, and anti-fungals.These additives will be present in conventional amounts.

Exemplary dosages to be considered are shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Estimation of the amounts of Terameprocol, Etoposide, andRapamycin to be considered in patient treatment K_(m) factor* A.Terameprocol Mouse 1 mg/day 30.3 mg/kg 3 90.3 mg/m² Human 171.5 mg/day2.45 mg/kg 37 90.3 mg/m² As mouse 859.6 mg/day 12.28 mg/kg 37 454.5mg/m² 5x mouse B. Etoposide Mouse 0.4 mg/day 12.1 mg/kg 3 36.3 mg/m²Human 68.6 mg/day 0.98 mg/kg 37 36.3 mg/m² As mouse 343 mg/day 4.9 mg/kg37 181.5 mg/m² 5x mouse C. Rapamycin Mouse 0.375 mg/day 11.1 mg/kg 333.3 mg/m² Human 63 mg/day 0.9 mg/kg 37 33.3 mg/m² As mouse 315 mg/day4.5 mg/kg 37 166.5 mg/m² 5x mouse Mouse weight: 33 g Human weight: 70 kg*Reference: Dose Translation from Animal to Human Studies S. R. Shaw, M.Nihal, and N. Ahmad The FASEB Journal, Vol. 22 p. 659-661, 2007

Columns 2 and 3 of Table 1 show effective dosages administered in micein experiments as described herein, and administered to humans inclinical trials. Column 4 shows Km factor for conversion to patienttreatment dosage. Column 5 gives the calculated amount foradministration to patients. In general it is expected that blood levelsof 0.5 to 10 mM of M₄N, preferably 1-5 mM, should be achieved foreffective patient treatment. Persons of skill in the art will appreciatethat the dosage is expected to vary depending on the protocol used fordrug administration.

The administration of a compound of the invention may be by any suitablemeans that results in a concentration of the therapeutic that, combinedwith other components, is effective in ameliorating, reducing, orstabilizing a deficit or disorder. The compound may be contained in anyappropriate amount in any suitable carrier substance, and is generallypresent in an amount of 1-95% by weight of the total weight of thecomposition. The composition may be provided in a dosage form that issuitable for parenteral (e.g., subcutaneously, intravenously,intramuscularly, or intraperitoneally) administration route. Thepharmaceutical compositions may be formulated according to conventionalpharmaceutical practice (see, e.g., Remington: The Science and Practiceof Pharmacy (20th ed.), ed. A. R. Gennaro, Lippincott Williams &Wilkins, 2000 and Encyclopedia of Pharmaceutical Technology, eds. J.Swarbrick and J. C. Boylan, 1988-1999, Marcel Dekker, New York).

Formulation of Pharmaceutical Compositions

As noted above, compositions of the invention can be administeredparenterally by injection, infusion or implantation (subcutaneous,intravenous, intramuscular, intraperitoneal, or the like) in dosageforms, formulations, or via suitable delivery devices or implantscontaining conventional, non-toxic pharmaceutically acceptable carriersand adjuvants. The formulation and preparation of such compositions arewell known to those skilled in the art of pharmaceutical formulation.Formulations can be found in Remington: The Science and Practice ofPharmacy, cited herein.

For example, pharmaceutical compositions according to the invention maybe in the form suitable for sterile injection. To prepare such acomposition, the compositions(s) are dissolved or suspended in aparenterally acceptable liquid vehicle. Among acceptable vehicles andsolvents that may be employed are water, water adjusted to a suitable pHby addition of an appropriate amount of hydrochloric acid, sodiumhydroxide or a suitable buffer, 1,3-butanedioi, Ringer's solution, andisotonic sodium chloride solution and dextrose solution. The aqueousformulation may also contain one or more preservatives (e.g., methyl,ethyl or n-propyl p-hydroxybenzoate).

Suitable dosage forms can be formulated for, but are not limited tooral, rectal, sub-lingual, mucosal, nasal, ophthalmic, subcutaneous,intramuscular, intravenous, transdermal, spinal, intrathecal,intra-articular, intra-arterial, sub-arachinoid, bronchial, lymphatic,and intra-uterille administration, and other dosage forms for systemicdelivery of active ingredients. In a preferred embodiment, the dosageform is suitable for injection or intravenous administration.

To prepare such pharmaceutical dosage forms, one or more of theaforementioned compounds are intimately admixed with a pharmaceuticalcarrier according to conventional pharmaceutical compounding techniques.The carrier may take a wide variety of forms depending on the form ofpreparation desired for administration.

For parenteral formulations, the carrier will usually comprise sterilewater, though other ingredients, for example, ingredients that aidsolubility or for preservation, may be included. Injectable solutionsmay also be prepared in which case appropriate stabilizing agents may beemployed.

In preparing the compositions in oral dosage form, any of the usualpharmaceutical media may be employed. Thus, for liquid oralpreparations, such as, for example, suspensions, elixirs and solutions,suitable carriers and additives include water, glycols, oils, alcohols,flavoring agents, preservatives, coloring agents and the like. For solidoral preparations such as, for example, powders, capsules and tablets,suitable carriers and additives include starches, sugars, diluents,granulating agents, lubricants, binders, disintegrating agents and thelike. Due to their ease in administration, tablets and capsulesrepresent the most advantageous oral dosage unit form. If desired,tablets may be sugar coated or enteric coated by standard techniques.

In some applications, it may be advantageous to utilize the active agentin a “vectorized” form, such as by encapsulation of the active agent ina liposome or other encapsulant medium, or by fixation of the activeagent, e.g., by covalent bonding, chelation, or associativecoordination, on a suitable biomolecule, such as those selected fromproteins, lipoproteins, glycoproteins, and polysaccharides.

Methods in accordance with the present invention using formulationssuitable for oral administration may be presented as discrete units suchas capsules, cachets, tablets, or lozenges, each containing apredetermined amount of the active ingredient as a powder or granules.Optionally, a suspension in an aqueous liquor or a non-aqueous liquidmay be employed, such as a syrup, an elixir, an emulsion, or a draught.

Formulations for oral use include tablets containing activeingredient(s) of the invention in a mixture with pharmaceuticallyacceptable excipients. Such formulations are known to the skilledartisan. Excipients may be, for example, inert diluents or fillers(e.g., sucrose, sorbitol, sugar, mannitol, microcrystalline cellulose,starches including potato starch, calcium carbonate, sodium chloride,lactose, calcium phosphate, calcium sulfate, or sodium phosphate);granulating and disintegrating agents (e.g., cellulose derivativesincluding microcrystalline cellulose, starches including potato starch,croscarmellose sodium, alginates, or alginic acid); binding agents(e.g., sucrose, glucose, sorbitol, acacia, alginic acid, sodiumalginate, gelatin, starch, pregelatinized starch, microcrystallinecellulose, magnesium aluminum silicate, carboxymethylcellulose sodium,methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, ethylcellulose,polyvinylpyrrolidone, or polyethylene glycol); and lubricating agents,glidants, and antiadhesives (e.g., magnesium stearate, zinc stearate,stearic acid, silicas, hydrogenated vegetable oils, or talc). Otherpharmaceutically acceptable excipients can be colorants, flavoringagents, plasticizers, humectants, buffering agents, and the like.

As appropriate, a tablet may be made by compression or molding, or wetgranulation, optionally with one or more accessory ingredients.Compressed tablets may be prepared by compressing in a suitable machine,with the active compound being in a free-flowing form such as a powderor granules which optionally is mixed with a binder, disintegrant,lubricant, inert diluent, surface active agent, or discharging agent.Molded tablets comprised of a mixture of the powdered active compoundwith a suitable carrier may be made by molding in a suitable machine.

As appropriate, a syrup may be made by adding the active compound to aconcentrated aqueous solution of a sugar, for example sucrose, to whichmay also be added any accessory ingredient(s). Such accessoryingredient(s) may include flavorings, suitable preservative, agents toretard crystallization of the sugar, and agents to increase thesolubility of any other ingredient, such as a polyhydroxy alcohol, forexample glycerol or sorbitol.

Formulations suitable for parenteral administration usually comprise asterile aqueous preparation of the active compound, which preferably isisotonic with the blood of the recipient (e.g., physiological salinesolution). Such formulations may include suspending agents andthickening agents and liposomes or other microparticulate systems whichare designed to target the compound to blood components or one or moreorgans. The formulations may be presented in unit-dose or multi-doseform.

Parenteral administration may comprise any suitable form of systemicdelivery or localized delivery. Administration may for example beintravenous, intra-arterial, intrathecal, intramuscular, subcutaneous,intramuscular, intra-abdominal (e.g. intraperitoneal), etc., and may beeffected by infusion pumps (external or implantable) or any othersuitable means appropriate to the desired administration modality.

Nasal and other mucosal spray formulations (e.g. inhalable forms) cancomprise purified aqueous solutions of the active compounds withpreservative agents and isotonic agents. Such formulations arepreferably adjusted to a pH and isotonic state compatible with the nasalor other mucous membranes. Alternatively, they can be in the form offinely divided solid powders suspended in a gas carrier. Suchformulations may be delivered by any suitable means or method, e.g., bynebulizer, atomizer, metered dose inhaler, or the like.

Formulations for rectal administration may be presented as a suppositorywith a suitable carrier such as cocoa butter, hydrogenated fats, orhydrogenated fatty carboxylic acids.

Transdermal formulations may be prepared by incorporating the activeagent in a thixotropic or gelatinous carrier such as a cellulosicmedium, e.g., methyl cellulose or hydroxyethyl cellulose, with theresulting formulation then being packed in a transdermal device adaptedto be secured in dermal contact with the skin of a wearer.

In addition to the aforementioned ingredients, formulations of theinvention may further include one or more accessory ingredient(s)selected from diluents, buffers, flavoring agents, binders,disintegrates, surface active agents, thickeners, lubricants,preservatives (including antioxidants), and the like.

A formulation of the present invention can have immediate release,sustained release, delayed-onset release or any other release profileknown to one skilled in the art.

Pharmaceutical compositions according to the invention may be formulatedto release the active compound substantially immediately uponadministration or at any predetermined time or time period afteradministration. The latter types of compositions are generally known ascontrolled release formulations, which include (i) formulations thatcreate a substantially constant concentration of the drug within thebody over an extended period of time; (ii) formulations that after apredetermined lag time create a substantially constant concentration ofthe drug within the body over an extended period of time; (iii)formulations that sustain action during a predetermined time period bymaintaining a relatively, constant, effective level in the body withconcomitant minimization of undesirable side effects associated withfluctuations in the plasma level of the active substance (sawtoothkinetic pattern); (iv) formulations that localize action by, e.g.,spatial placement of a controlled release composition adjacent to or inthe central nervous system or cerebrospinal fluid; (v) formulations thatallow for convenient dosing, such that doses are administered, forexample, once every one or two weeks; and (vi) formulations that targetthe site of a pathology. For some applications, controlled releaseformulations obviate the need for frequent dosing to sustain the enzymeactivity at a therapeutic level.

Any of a number of strategies can be pursued in order to obtaincontrolled release in which the rate of release out-weighs the rate ofmetabolism of the compound in question. In one example, controlledrelease is obtained by appropriate selection of various formulationparameters and ingredients, including, e.g., various types of controlledrelease compositions and coatings. Thus, the therapeutic is formulatedwith appropriate excipients into a pharmaceutical composition that, uponadministration, releases the therapeutic in a controlled manner.Examples include single or multiple unit tablet or capsule compositions,oil solutions, suspensions, emulsions, microcapsules, microspheres,molecular complexes, nanoparticles, patches, and liposomes.

The compositions of the invention can be incorporated into microspheres,microcapsules, nanoparticles, liposomes, or the like for controlledrelease. Furthermore, the composition may include suspending,solubilizing, stabilizing, pH-adjusting agents, tonicity adjustingagents, and/or dispersing, agents. Alternatively, the active drug may beincorporated in biocompatible carriers, implants, or infusion devices.

Materials for use in the preparation of microspheres and/ormicrocapsules are, e.g., biodegradable/bioerodible polymers such aspolygalactin, poly-(isobutyl cyanoacrylate),poly(2-hydroxyethyl-L-glutam-nine) and, poly(lactic acid). Biocompatiblecarriers that may be used when formulating a controlled releaseparenteral formulation are carbohydrates (e.g., dextrans), proteins(e.g., albumin), lipoproteins, or antibodies. Materials for use inimplants can be non-biodegradable (e.g., polydimethyl siloxane) orbiodegradable (e.g., poly(caprolactone), poly(lactic acid),poly(glycolic acid) or poly(ortho esters) or combinations thereof).

Salts and Derivatives

Compositions of the invention can comprise various pharmaceuticallyacceptable salts, ether derivatives, ester derivatives, acidderivatives, and aqueous solubility altering derivatives of the activecompound. The present invention can comprise all individual enantiomers,diastereomers, racemates, and other isomer of compounds of theinvention. The invention also includes all polymorphs and solvates, suchas hydrates and those formed with organic solvents, of this compound.Such isomers, polymorphs, and solvates may be prepared by methods knownin the art, such as by regiospecific and/or enantioselective synthesisand resolution, based on the disclosure provided herein.

Suitable salts of the compound include, but are not limited to, acidaddition salts, such as those made with hydrochloric, hydrobromic,hydroiodic, perchloric, sulfuric, nitric, phosphoric, acetic, propionic,glycolic, lactic pyruvic, malonic, succinic, maleic, fumaric, malic,tartaric, citric, benzoic, carbonic cinnamic, mandelic, methanesulfonic,ethanesulfonic, hydroxyethanesulfonic, benezenesulfonic, p-toluenesulfonic, cyclohexanesulfamic, salicyclic, p-aminosalicylic,2-phenoxybenzoic, and 2-acetoxybenzoic acid; salts made with saccharin;alkali metal salts, such as sodium and potassium salts; alkaline earthmetal salts, such as calcium and magnesium salts; and salts formed withorganic or inorganic ligands, such as quaternary ammonium salts.

Additional suitable salts include, but are not limited to, acetate,benzenesulfonate, benzoate, bicarbonate, bisulfate, bitartrate, borate,bromide, calcium edetate, camsylate, carbonate, chloride, clavulanate,citrate, dihydrochloride, edetate, edisylate, estolate, esylate,fumarate, gluceptate, gluconate, glutamate, glycollylarsanilate,hexylresorcinate, hydrabamine, hydrobromide, hydrochloride,hydroxynaphthoate, iodide, isothionate, lactate, lactobionate, laurate,malate, maleate, mandelate, mesylate, methylbromide, methylnitrate,methylsulfate, mucate, napsylate, nitrate, N-methylglucamine ammoniumsalt, oleate, pamoate (embonate), palmitate, pantothenate,phosphate/diphosphate, polygalacturonate, salicylate, stearate, sulfate,subacetate, succinate, tannate, tartrate, teoclate, tosylate,triethiodide and valerate salts of the compound of the presentinvention.

Prodrugs and active metabolites of compounds of the invention are alsowithin the scope of the invention.

A prodrug is a pharmacologically inactive compound that is convertedinto a pharmacologically active agent by a metabolic transformation. Invivo, a prodrug is acted on by naturally occurring enzyme(s) resultingin liberation of the pharmacologically active agent. Conventionalprocedures for the selection and preparation of suitable prodrugderivatives are described, for example, in “Design of Prodrugs”, ed. H.Bundgaard, Elsevier, 1985.

An active metabolite is a compound which results from metabolism ofanother compound after administration of the latter to a subject.Metabolites can be identified by techniques well-known in the art.

The invention also comprises kits, e.g., for the treatment, diagnosis,prophylaxis or prognosis of disease or injury. In one embodiment, thekit includes a composition of the invention containing an effectiveamount of a compound of the invention in unit dosage form. In someembodiments, the kit comprises an outer container or package. The kitcan comprise a sterile container which contains a therapeutic; suchsterile containers can be boxes, ampules, bottles, vials, tubes, bags,pouches, blister-packs, or other suitable container forms known in theart. Such containers can be made of plastic, glass, laminated paper,metal foil, or other materials suitable for holding medicaments.

In certain kit embodiments, a composition of the invention is providedtogether with instructions for administering it to a subject.Instructions may include information about the use and effects of thecomposition. In one embodiment, the instructions will include at leastone of the following: description of a composition of the invention,dosage schedule and administration protocols, precautions, warnings,indications, counter-indications, overdosage information, adversereactions, animal pharmacology, clinical studies, and/or references.

The instructions may be printed directly on a container (when present),or as a label applied to the container, or as a separate sheet,pamphlet, card, or folder supplied in, on or with the container. Thus,the instructions may be a separate item in the kit, or be imprintedembossed, molded or otherwise affixed to another item in the kit;instructions may be printed on an outer container and also included asan insert item in the kit.

The effect of M₄N was studied for 4T1 and 67NR cell lines. These celllines are derived from subpopulations of a single mouse breast canceralthough 4T1 is far more metastatic than 67NR cells.

M₄N induced TUNEL-positive cell death more efficiently in 67NR than in4T1 cells. M₄N suppressed phosphorylation of several PDK-1/PI3K/AKTpathway-related proteins in 67NR but not in 4T1 cells.

We found that manipulations of PDK-1/PI3K/AKT pathway by other drugscould modulate the effect of M₄N on 4T1 cells. Both Ly294002(phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase inhibitor) and rottlerin (an inhibitorwith broad specificity), were found to promote cell deathsynergistically with M₄N in both 4T1 and 67NR cells in tissue cultures,Treatment of 4T1 or 67NR tumor-bearing Balb/c female mice with M₄N didnot extend the life-span of these mice. However, combination treatmentof M₄N with rottlerin extends the life-span of these mice. Additionallycombination treatment of M₄N with rottlerin reduced lung metastasis of4T1 cells, measured by the clonogenicity assay. The data indicatespossible clinical applications of combination treatment of M₄N withrottlerin and Ly294002 for cancer therapy.

The effect of five metabolic modulators (Rottlerin, Ly294002, Etoposide,Dichloroaeetate and rapamycin) on induction of rapid cell death bytetra-O-methyl nordihydroguaiaretic acid (M₄N, EM1421, Terameprocol) wasstudied in 4T1 and 67NR mouse breast cancer cell lines and LNCaP humanprostate cancer cell line. M₄N induced rapid TUNEL-positive cell deathsynergistically with either Rottlerin or Ly294002 in 4T1 and 67NR celllines and with Rottlerin, Ly294002, Etoposide, or Dichloroacetate inLNCaP cells.

M₄N, Rottlerin, Ly294002, and Desferoxamine synergistically increasedthe translocation of phosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁵) into the nuclei.Transfeetion of PKCδ vectors enhanced cell death induced by M₄N in both4T1 and 67NR cells. On the other hand, transfection with dominantnegative PKCδ (kinase negative) vectors partially suppressed cell deathinduced by a combination treatment of M₄N with either Rottlerin orLy294002. Rottlerin but not Ly294002 depolarized mitochondrial membranepotential.

The combination treatment of M₄N with Ly294002 markedly suppressed tumorgrowth and metastasis in nude mice which had been orthotopicallyimplanted with LNCaP tumors. By relieving tumor burdens, the drugcombination has so far protected 100% of treated mice from death beyond112 days while control mice all died before 52 days after tumortransplantation.

Thus, chemicals which affect a very diverse range of cellularmetabolisms that are often modulated specifically in cancer cells, suchas the phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway (Ly294002),PKCδ/topoisomerase IIα pathway (Ly294002, Etoposide, Rottlerin), ormitochondrial permeability transition (Rottlerin, Dichloroacetate) havethe ability synergistically to enhance the tumoricidal effect of M₄N onaggressive mouse and human cancers.

M₄N was evaluated in a mammary tumors at two different stages metastatic(cell line 4T1) and nonmetastatic (cell line 67NR). M₄N is effective tostop the growth of metastatic 4T1 cells but not sufficient to inducecell apoptosis within first 48 hours, although it is able to induceapoptosis in nonmetastatic 67NR cells, (20).

A particularly compelling observation was that M₄N together with lowamounts of additional drugs (drugs that may be correlated with toxicityat higher does) is both efficacious and had essentially nontoxic sideeffects. In one method of the invention, M₄N or another NDGA derivativeis administered daily with a metabolic inhibitor until an effectivedosage is achieved in plasma and in the target cells to have the desiredtherapeutic effect without the toxicity associated with higher dosagesthat are necessary when only one drug is administered.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedetailed description, and from the claims.

DEFINITIONS

By “agent” is meant a polypeptide, peptide, nucleic acid molecule, smallmolecule, or mimetic.

By “analog” is meant an agent having structural or functional homologyto a reference agent.

By “cell substrate” is meant the cellular or acellular material (e.g.,extracellular matrix, polypeptides, peptides, or other molecularcomponents) that is in contact with the cell.

By “control” is meant a standard or reference condition.

By “disease” is meant any condition or disorder that damages orinterferes with the normal function of a cell, tissue, organ or subject.

By “effective amount” is meant the amount of an agent required toameliorate the symptoms of a disease relative to an untreated patient.The effective amount of an active therapeutic agent used to practice thepresent invention for the treatment of a disease or injury variesdepending upon the manner of administration, the age, body weight, andgeneral health of the subject. Ultimately, the attending clinician willdecide the appropriate amount and dosage regimen.

By “fragment” is meant a portion of a polypeptide that has at least 50%of the biological activity of the polypeptide from which it is derived.This portion contains, preferably, at least 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%,60%, 70%, 80%, or 90% of the entire length of the reference nucleic acidmolecule or polypeptide, A fragment of a polypeptide or nucleic acidmolecule may contain 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100, 200,300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, or 1000 nucleotides or amino acids.

“HIF” refers to hypoxia inducible factor-1

“M₄N” refers to Tetra-O-methyl nordihyroguaiaretic acid, EM 1421 orTerameprocol, each of which are synonyms.

“Lower alkyl” and “lower alkoxy” refer to alkyl and alkoxy groups of 1-6carbon atoms.

By “modifies” is meant alters. In the context of the invention, an agentthat modifies a cell, substrate, or cellular environment produces abiochemical alteration in a component (e.g., polypeptide, nucleotide, ormolecular component) of the cell, substrate, or cellular environment.

“MTT” refers to 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide.

“PDK-1” indicates 3′-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1.

“PI3K” refers to phosphatidyl inositol-3-kinase

“mTOR” refers to the mammalian target of rapamycin.

As used herein, the terms “prevent,” “preventing,” “prevention,”“prophylactic treatment” and the like refer to reducing the probabilityof developing a disorder or condition in a subject, who does not have,but is at risk of or susceptible to developing a disorder or condition.

As used herein, a “prodrug” is a pharmacologically inactive compoundthat is converted into a pharmacologically active agent by a metabolictransformation.

By “subject” is meant a mammal, including, but not limited to, a humanor non-human mammal, such as a bovine, equine, canine, ovine, or feline.

By “therapeutic delivery device” is meant any device that provides forthe release of a therapeutic agent. Exemplary therapeutic deliverydevices include osmotic pumps, indwelling catheters, andsustained-release biomaterials.

As used herein, the terms “treat,” treating,” “treatment,” and the likerefer to reducing or ameliorating a disorder and/or symptoms associatedtherewith. It will be appreciated that, although not precluded, treatinga disorder or condition does not require that the disorder, condition orsymptoms associated therewith be completely eliminated.

By “variant” is meant an agent having structural homology to a referenceagent but varying from the reference in its biological activity.Variants provided by the invention include optimized amino acid andnucleic acid sequences that are selected using the methods describedherein as having one or more desirable characteristics.

As used herein, “inhibiting” means slowing or stopping the growth of.

As used herein, “with” or “along with” means that the compounds areadministered during the same course of treatment, but not necessarilysimultaneously. Administration may occur seconds, minutes, or hoursapart in time, but will preferably be closely spaced (at least minutes).The compounds should be administered for sufficient duration (e.g.daily) so that an effective dosage is achieved in plasma and in thetarget tumor cells.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. Effect of M₄N and/or desferoxamine on TUNEL-positive cell deathand cell growth in 4T1 and 67NR cells, A and B: Either 4T1 (A) or 67NR.(B) cells at subconfluent condition were treated with M₄N (80 μM) and/ordesferoxamine (300 μM). At 48 hrs after treatment the cells werecollected and TUNEL assay was performed. C: 1×10⁴ 4T1 cells were seededinto 12 well plates. One day later, the cells were treated withdifferent concentrations of M₄N. The number of cells was measured by MTTassay at different times points. Data are presented as means (+/−) SD intriplicates.

FIG. 2, Effect of M₄N and/or desferoxamine on status of phosphorylatedproteins in PDK-1/Akt pathway. Either 4T1 or 67NR cells were seeded into25 mm² flasks. One day later, the cells were treated with M₄N (80 μM)and/or Desferoxamine (75 or 150 μM). Five hours later the cells werecollected and the western blotting was performed for 4T1 cells and 67NRcells, 0: without desferoxamine, 75: 75 μM desferoxamine, 150: 150 μMdesferoxamine, (−): without M₄N, and M₄N: M₄N (80 μM). PDK-P:phospho-PDK1 (Ser²⁴¹), Akt473P: phospho-Akt (Ser⁴⁷³), PRAS40P:phospho-PRAS40 (Thr²⁴⁶), RafP; phospho-Raf (Ser²⁵⁹), and MEK-P:phospho-MEK1/2 (Ser^(217/221)).

FIG. 3, Effect of M₄N, Desferoxamine, Rottlerin, Ly294002, and zVAD onTUNEL-positive cell death in 4T1 and 67NR cells. A: Effect of M₄N,Desferoxamine, Rottlerin, Ly294002, and zVAD on TUNEL-positive celldeath in 4T1 cells. 4T1 cells at subcontinent condition were treatedwith M₄N (80 μM), Desferoxamine (150 μM), Rottlerin (5 μM), or Ly294002(20 μM). At 24 hrs after treatment the cells were collected and TUNELassay was performed. When the effect of zVAD (50 μM) was examined, zVADhad been added 30 minutes before other drugs were added. M; M₄N, D:Desferoxamine, Ro: Rottlerin, Ly: Ly294002. B: Effect of M₄N,Desferoxamine, Rottlerin, and Ly294002 on TUNEL-positive cell death in67NR cells. 67NR cells at subcontinent condition were treated with M₄N(80 μM), Desferoxamine (150 μM), Rottlerin (5 μM), or Ly2940 (20 μM). At26 hrs after treatment the cells were collected and TUNEL assay wasperformed. Des: Desferoxamine. C: Effect of zVAD on TUNEL-positive celldeath induced by M₄N and Desferoxamine in 67NR cells. 67NR cells atsubcontinent condition were treated with zVAD (50 μM), and then treatedwith M₄N (80 μM) and/or Desferoxamine (150 μM). At 42 hrs later thecells were collected and TUNEL assay was performed. Des: Desferoxamine,A-C: Data are presented as means (+/−) SD in triplicates. D: Effect ofM₄N, Desferoxamine, Rottlerin, and Ly294002 on caspase-9 cleavage.Either 4T1 or 67NR cells were seeded into 25 mm² flasks. One day later,the cells were treated with M₄N (80 μM), Desferoxamine (150 μM),Rottlerin (5 μM), and Ly294002 (20 μM), Five hours later the cells werecollected and the western blotting was performed for 4T1 cells and 67NRcells. M: M₄N, 150: 150 μM Desferoxamine, 150M: M₄N plus 150 μMDesferoxamine, Ro: Rottlerin, Ly: Ly294002. Full length caspase-9 is 51kDa while cleaved caspase-9 is 39 kDa. E&F: Effect of a combinationtreatment of three drugs (M₄N, Rottlerin, and Ly294002) together onTUNEL-positive cell death in 4T1 (E) and 67NR (F) cells. Theconcentration of M₄N (M), Rottlerin (Ro), and Ly294002 (Ly) is 80 μM, 5μM, and 20 μM respectively. The combination treatment of Rottlerin andLy294002 is indicated by either Ro+Ly or RoLy. Cell death was measured19 hrs after treatment. Data are presented as means (+/−) SD intriplicates.

FIG. 4. Effect of M₄N, Rottlerin, Ly294002, and Desferoxamine on theexpression and cellular localization of total PKCδ and phosphor-PKCδ(Thr⁵⁰⁵) in 4T1 (A) and 67NR cells 5 hrs after treatment. A&B: Theexpression of the proteins in 4T1 (A) and 67NR (B) detected by thewestern blotting. The concentration of M₄N (M), Rottlerin (Ro), Ly294002(Ly), and Desferoxamine (D) is 80 μM, 5 μM, 20 μM, and 150 μMrespectively. The combination treatment of Desferoxamine and M₄N isindicated by DM. Actin was used as control. C&D; The cellularlocalization of total PKCδ (C) and phosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁵) in 4T1 cells.The concentration of M₄N, Rottlerin (Ro), Ly294002 (Ly), andDesferoxamine (Des) is 80 μM, 5 μM, 20 μM, and 150 μM respectively. Des(−) indicates ‘without Desferoxamine treatment’. Des (+) indicates ‘withDesferoxamine treatment’.

FIG. 5. Effect of PKCδ wild type and K376 mutant PKCδ (kinase negative)type vectors on TUNEL-positive cell death induced by M₄N, Rottlerin, andLy294002 in 4T1 (A) and 67NR (B) cells 24 hrs after treatment. Theconcentration of M₄N (M), Rottlerin (Ro), Ly294002 (Ly), andDesferoxamine (Des) is 80 μM, 5 μM, 20 μM, and 150 μM respectively. A(4T1 cells): The difference between the control and the PKCδ wild typein cells treated with M₄N is statistically significant by t-test (5%).The difference between the control and the PKCδ wild type in cellstreated with M₄N and Rottlerin is statistically significant by t-test(5%). The difference between the control and the PKCδ K376 mutant incells treated with M₄N and Rottlerin is statistically significant byt-test (5%). The difference between the control and the PKCδ in cellstreated with M₄N and Ly294002 is statistically significant by t-test(2%), B (67NR cells): The difference between the control and the PKCδwild type in cells treated with M₄N is statistically significant byt-test (5%). The difference between the control and the PKCδ K376 mutantin cells treated with M₄N and Rottlerin is statistically significant byt-test (5%). The difference between the control and the PKCδ K376 mutantin cells treated with M₄N and Ly294002 is statistically significant byt-test (2%). The difference between the control and the PKCδ in cellstreated with M₄N and Ly294002 is statistically significant by t-test(1%). C: Effect of Genistein (50 μM) on TUNEL-positive cell deathinduced by the combination treatment of M₄N (80 μM) with Rottlerin (5μM) or Ly294002 (20 μM) in 4T1 cells at 28 hrs after treatment. ‘RoM’and ‘LyM’ designate the combination treatment of M₄N with Rottlerin orLy294002 respectively. Data are presented as means (+/−) SD intriplicates (A-C).

FIG. 6. Effect of M₄N and Rottlerin on the survival time of 4T1 (A) and67NR (B) tumor-bearing mice. A: 5×10⁴ 4T1 cells were inoculated into fatpads of mammary glands in Balb/c female mice. The injections of eitherM₄N (1 mg/shot) and Rottlerin (100 μg/shot) started 7 days afterinoculation of tumors, Drug injections were performed three days a week.B: 5×10⁴ 67NR cells were inoculated into fat pads of mammary glands inBalb/c female mice. The injections of either M₄N (1 mg/shot) andRottlerin (100 μg/shot) started 8 days after inoculation of tumors. Druginjections were performed three days a week. In either 4T1 or 67NRtumor-bearing mice there were five to six mice in each group. Thepercentage of mice that have died by the date after tumor inoculationwas shown for each group.

FIG. 7. Effect of combination treatment of M₄N and Rottlerin on Balb/cmice inoculated with a small number of 4T1 tumor cells. 5×10³ 4T1 cellswere inoculated into fat pads of mammary glands in Balb/c female mice.Effect of combination treatment of M₄N (1 mg/shot) and Rottlerin (100μg/shot) was examined. Drug injections started 3 days after inoculationof tumors. Drugs were administered six days a week. A: The percentage ofmice that have died by the date after tumor inoculation was shown foreach group. B: At 18 days after inoculation, the tumors were excisedfrom the mice and their weights were measured. Data are presented asmeans (+/−) SD. The difference between the control and the combinationtreatment is statistically significant by Student's t-test (2%). C: At18 days after inoculation, the lungs were excised from the mice and theclonogenicity assay was performed. Data are presented as means (+/−) SD.The difference between the control and the combination treatment isstatistically significant by Student's t-test (2%).

FIG. 8. Effect of M₄N, Rottlerin, and Ly294002 on TUNEL-positive celldeath (A), cell growth (B), and cellular localization of total PKCδ (C)& phosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁷) (D) in LNCaP cells. The concentration of M₄N(M), Rottlerin (R), and Ly294002 (L), is 80 μM, 5 μM, and 20 μMrespectively. Cell death was measured at 28 hrs after treatment (A),Cell growth assayed by the MTT method was measured at 24 hrs aftertreatment (B). Data are presented as means (+/−) SD in triplicates (A &B). The cellular localization of PKCδ (C) and phosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁷) (D)was examined at 5 hrs after treatment.

FIG. 9. Metastatic tumors which appeared on the ventral side of nude(nu/nu) mice orthotropically implanted with LNCaP tumors withouttreatment. There are eight mice with arbitrary designations on the rightside of the panels. The pictures were taken after 3 to 6 weeks afterinoculation of tumors. The mice were daily injected with vehicle only.Vehicle injections started 8 days after implantation of tumors.Metastatic tumors are circled by red dots in the pictures.

FIG. 10. Metastatic tumors which appeared on the ventral side of nude(nu/nu) mice orthotropically implanted with LNCaP tumors with acombination treatment of M₄N with Ly294002. There are eight mice witharbitrary designations on the right side of the panels. The pictureswere taken after 3 to 6 weeks after inoculation of tumors. The mice weredaily injected with M₄N (1 mg/shot) and Ly294002 (100 μg/shot). Druginjections started 8 days after implantation of tumors. Metastatictumors are circled by red dots in the pictures.

FIG. 11, Effect of combination treatment of M₄N and Ly294002 on nude(nu/nu) mice orthotropically implanted with LNCaP tumors. LNCaP tumorswere orthotropically implanted into the vicinity of prostate glands inmale nude mice. Effect of combination treatment of M₄N (1 mg/shot) andLy294002 (100 μg/shot) was examined. Drug injections started 8 daysafter implantation of tumors. Drugs were administered 7 days a week. A:The percentage of mice that have died by the date after tumorinoculation was shown for each group. B: Many tumor lesions appeared onthe body surface of tumor-bearing mice in one to two weeks after tumorimplantation. The size of these tumor lesions was estimated by thecalculation described in Materials & Methods. Data are presented asmeans (+/−) SD. The difference between the control and the combinationtreatment at both 5 and 6 weeks after tumor implantation isstatistically significant by Student's t-test (5%). C: The lungs (a & b)and the internal thoracic region facing the lungs (c & d) from thecontrol mice that died of cancer at 7 to 8 weeks after tumorimplantation. The lungs (e-g) from the treated mice that were killed at11 weeks after tumor implantation. D: The tumors from the treated micethat were killed at 11 weeks after tumor transplantation. The tumorswere cut by the scalpel so that their inside could be seen, a: the tumorin the prostate region, b-d: the tumors in the abdominal skin.

FIG. 12. Effect of combination treatment of M₄N and Ly294092 onmetastatis tumors in the lung and the skin in nude (nu/nu) miceorthotropically implanted with LNCaP tumors. A: Histological images ofthe lungs from eight different control mice that died of cancer at 7 to8 weeks after tumor implantation (a-h). Metastasis lesions (designatedas ‘M’) exist in six out of eight those mice. Notice that there is notany obvious metastasis lesion in the lung from all four differenttreated mice that were killed at 11 weeks after tumor implantation(i-l). B; Many tumor lesions appeared on the body surface oftumor-bearing mice in one to two weeks after tumor implantation.Histological images of these lesions from either seven different controlmice that died of cancer at 7 to 8 weeks after tumor implantation (a-g)or four different treated mice that were killed at 11 weeks after tumorimplantation (i-l). All the sections were stained with Hematoxylin andEosin.

FIG. 13. Effect of additional Rottlerin treatment on metastatic tumorswhich appeared on the ventral side of T8 mouse orthotropicallyinoculated with LNCaP cells and treated with M₄N and Ly294002. A: Imagesof metastatic tumors on the ventral side of T8 mouse from 6 to 22 weeksafter inoculation of tumors. B: Total volumes of metastatic ventraltumors in T8 mouse from 3 to 22 weeks after inoculation of tumors. T8mouse in this figure is the same one as T8 mouse in FIG. 3. The mice wasdaily treated with M₄N (1 mg/shot) and Ly294002 (100 μg/shot). Druginjections started 8 days after implantation of tumors. Rottlerin (100μg/shot) was additionally administered to the mice 10 weeks after thetumor inoculation.

FIG. 14. A & B: Effect of the combination treatment of M₄N withdifferent metabolic modulators on TUNEL-positive cell death in LNCaPcells with different concentrations of drugs 24 hrs or 48 hrs aftertreatment. LNCaP cells were treated with M₄N in the combination witheither Rottlerin (A) or Ly294002 (B). Etoposide (C), Dichloroacetate(D), or Rapamycin (E&F) at either 24 hrs (C, D & E) or 48 hrs (F). M₄N(40 μM, 60 μM or 80 μM), Etoposide (5, 10, or 20 μM), Dichloroacetate(10 or 30 mM) or Rapamycin (5, 10, 20, or 30 μM) were used. Data arepresented as means (+/−) SD in triplicates (A-F).

FIG. 15. Effect of combination treatment of M₄N with either Ly294002,Rottlerin plus Ly294002 or etoposide on nude (nu/nu) miceorthotropically implanted with LNCaP tumors. LNCaP tumors wereorthotropically implanted into the vicinity of prostate glands in malenude mice. A; Effect of the combination treatment of M₄N with eitherLy294002 or Rottlerin plus Ly294002 on the life-span of tumor-bearingmice. The percentage of mice that have died by the date after tumorinoculation was shown for each group. The numbers of mice in each groupwere 18, 5, 4, 8, and 9 for the control, Rottlerin alone, M₄N alone, M₄N& Ly294002, and M₄N & Rottlerin & Ly294002 group respectively. Dosagesof each injection were 1 mg/shot (for M₄N), 0.2 mg/shot (for Ly294002),and 0.1 mg/shot (for Rottlerin). Drug injections started 3 days afterimplantation of tumors. Drugs were administered 7 days a week for fourweeks. After that drugs were injected once a week. B: Effect of thecombination treatment of M₄N with either Etoposide or Rapamycin on thelife-span of tumor-bearing mice. The percentage of mice that have diedby the date after tumor inoculation was shown for each group. Thenumbers of mice in each group were 18, 5, 4, 4, 9 and 5 for the control,Etopside alone, Ly294002 alone, Rapamycin alone, M₄N alone, M₄N &Etoposide, and M₄N & Rapamycin group respectively. Dosages of eachinjection were 1 mg/shot (for M₄N), 0.4 mg/shot (for Etoposide), and0.375 mg/shot (for Rapamycin). Drug injections started 3 days afterimplantation of tumors. Drugs were administered 7 days a week for fourweeks. After that drugs were injected once a week. C: Histologicalimages of the lung from the tumor-bearing mice treated with differentmethods. Hematoxylin and Eosin staining. 100× magnification images. Mindicates metastasis lesions, Cont, Eto, M₄N, M₄N+Ly, M₄N+Ro+Ly, andM₄N+Eto indicate ‘control’, ‘Etoposide alone’, ‘M₄N alone’, ‘M₄N andLy294002 combination’, ‘M₄N, Rottlerin, and Ly294002 combination’, and‘M₄N and Etoposide combination’.

FIG. 16. Effect of combination treatment of M₄N with either Rottlerin orRapamycin in various tumor cell lines, A: TUNEL-positive cell death invarious tumor cell lines treated with M₄N and Rottlerin for 24 hrs. B:TUNEL-positive cell death in various tumor cell lines treated with M₄Nand Rapamycin. The concentration of M₄N, Rottlerin, and Rapamycin is 80μM, either 10 or 20 μM, and 10 μM respectively. Data are presented asmeans (+/−) SD in triplicates.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND EXAMPLES

Materials and Methods

Cell Culture Either cell line 4T1 or 67NR was a gift from Dr. Miller(20). The cells were cultured in RPMI1640 medium supplemented withglucose (14 mM), pyruvate (1 mM), penicillin (100 units/ml),streptomycin (100 μg/ml), and fetal bovine serum (10%), buffered with 25mM HEPES (pH 7.4). LNCaP human prostate cancer cell line was purchasedfrom American Type Culture Collection (Manassas, Va.). The cell line wascultured in RPMI1640 medium supplemented with glucose (14 mM), pyruvate(1 mM), penicillin (100 units/ml), streptomycin (100 μg/ml), and fetalbovine serum (10%). Drugs were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) ata suitable concentration so that the final concentration of DMSO in themedium was less than 0.1%.

Reagents: M₄N was synthesized and supplied by Erimos Pharmaceutical,L.L.C. (Raleigh, N.C.), according to the method described (87).Rottlerin was from Calbiochem (San Diego, Calif.). Ly294002 was fromCell Signaling Technology (Danvers, Mass.). zVAD-fmk was from R&Dsystems (Minneapolis, Minn.). Mouse anti-actin antibodies were fromSigma (Saint Louis, Mo.). Rabbit anti-HIF, anti-caspase 9,anti-phospho-PDK1 (Ser²⁴¹), Akt, phospho-Akt (Ser⁴⁷³) (193H12),Phospho-Raf (Ser²⁵⁹), and Phospho-MEK1/2 (Ser^(217/221)) antibodies wereobtained from Cell Signaling Technology (Danvers, Mass.). Rabbitanti-phospho-PRAS40 (Thr²⁴⁶) antibody was from Biosource (Camarillo,Calif.). Desferoxamine mesylate and Etoposide were from Sigma (SaintLouis, Mo.). Sodium Dichloroacetate was from Alfa Aesar (Lancashire,UK). Mouse anti-Actin antibody was from Sigma (Saint Louis, Mo.). Rabbitanti-protein kinase Cδ (C-terminal) and anti-phosphor-protein kinase Cδ(Tyr¹⁸⁷) were from Santa Cruz Biotechnology (Santa Cruz, Calif.). Rabbitanti-caspase 9 and phospho-protein kinase Cδ (Thr⁵⁰⁵) antibodies wereobtained from Cell Signaling Technology (Danvers, Mass.).

Animals: Female Balb/e mice were obtained from Charles RiverLaboratories (Wilmington, Mass.). M₄N and Rottlerin were dissolved intoa solvent, CPE (25/30) solvent system supplied by Erimos Pharmaceutical,L.L.C. (Raleigh, N.C.) and injected into mice either intravenously orintraperitoneally, T-cell deficient male nude mice (nu/nu) were obtainedfrom Charles River Laboratories (Wilmington, Mass.). M₄N and Ly294002were dissolved into a solvent, CPE (25/30) solvent system supplied byErimos Pharmaceutical, L.L.C. (Raleigh, N.C.) and injected into miceintravenously.

Tumor inoculation: Either 4T1 or 67NR cells were grown as describedabove. Cells growing subconfluently were collected and resuspended intothe tissue culture medium minus fetal bovine serum and antibiotics,After counting the number of the cells, the cell concentration wasadjusted. Twenty μl of the solution containing a selected number ofcancer cells (either 5×10³ or 5×10⁴ cells) was injected into each fatpad of a pair of mammary glands located close to lower limbs. Tumor sizewas measured by weighing tumors extracted from mouse cadavers.

Clonogenicity assay for lung metastasis: Clonogenicity assay was donebased on the method by Pulanski & Ostrand-Rosenberg (80). At a selectedtime following tumor inoculation, mice were euthanized, mouse lungs wereremoved and minced well. Minced lungs were digested in 1 mg/mlcollagenase type IV (Sigma, Saint Louis, Mo.) in phosphate bufferedsaline without magnesium and calcium (PBS (−)) at 37C for 2 hrs.Digested lungs were filtered through 70 μM cell strainers to removedebris. Cells were washed with PBS (−) and resuspended in the cellculture medium described above, supplemented with 60 μM thioguanine(Sigma, Saint Louis, Mo.). After culturing the cells for several days,the numbers of emerging cell clones were counted.

MTT assay: Cells were incubated in PBS (−) supplemented with 5% fetalcalf serum and 0.5 mg/ml MTT,3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (Sigma,Saint Louis, Mo.) for 2 hrs. After the incubation, the cells weredissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide and the color of the solutions wasmeasured by a spectrophotometer at wavelengths of 540 and 690 nm. Thevalues correlated with viable cell numbers were obtained by subtractingthe optical density at 690 nm from that, at 540 nm.

Apoptosis assay: Simple TLTNEL assay was conducted by using TUNELapoptosis detection kit (Upstate, Temecula, Calif.) with somemodification. For the evaluation of the effect of PKCδ wild type anddominant negative vectors on TUNEL-positive cell death, we firsttransfected 4T1 or 67NR cells with these vectors by effectene (Qiagen,Valencia, Calif.). Wild type PKCδ vector is constructed from wild typePKCδ gene and pEGFP (Promega, Madison, Wis.). Dominant negative PKCδvector is constructed from PKCδ gene mutated at a 376th amino acidresidue (threonine) and pEGFP (Promega, Madison, Wis.) This threonineresidue is located in ATP-binding domain of protein kinase Cδ, andtherefore essential for any kinase reaction of the protein so that thismutant protein supposedly function as dominant negative. As a control weused pEGFP-N3 vector was used. These vectors contain green fluorescentprotein (GFP) gene to be used as a transfection marker. The vectors arekind gifts from Dr. Yuspa (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.)(88). Twenty four hours after transfection, the cells were treated withM₄N, Rottlerin, or Ly294002. Then 24 hrs after this treatment with thesereagents, the cells were fixed with 10% formaldehyde in phosphatebuffered saline without calcium and magnesium (PBS (−)). The cells werethen incubated with rabbit anti-GFP antibody (MBL International, Woburn,Mass.) followed by treatment with anti-rabbit IgG antibody conjugatedwith fluorescein (Promega, Madison, Wis.). TUNEL staining was conductedby using TUNEL apoptosis detection kit (Upstate, Temecula, Calif.)except for using Streptavidin-Alexa Fluor 568 (Molecular Probes, Eugene,Oreg.) instead of Avidine-Rhodamine contained in the kit. Cell death wasevaluated by dividing the number of TUNEL-positive cells among the cellspositive with anti-GFP staining by the number of these GFP-positivecells.

Western blotting: After cells had been grown in 25 mm² flasks andtreated with reagents, the cells were washed with PBS (−) three timesand suspended in RIP A buffer (150 mM NaCl, 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8,0),0.1% SDS, 1% NP40, and 0.5% deoxycholate) supplemented with proteaseinhibitor cocktail (Calbiochem, San Diego, Calif.). The sample volumeswere adjusted by the total protein amount. Protein assay was performedby Bio-Rad Protein Assay (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Hercules, Calif.).The samples were resolved by the standard SDS-polyacrylamide gelelectrophoresis and transferred to nitrocellulose membrane (AmershamBiosciences, Bjorkgatan, Sweden). The membranes were blocked with skimmilk, and incubated with primary antibodies at 4° C. overnight and thenwith secondary antibody conjugated with horse radish peroxidase at roomtemperature for 2 hrs. The signals were detected by western blotchemiluminescence reagent plus (New England Nuclear Life ScienceProducts, Boston, Mass.).

Surgical orthotropic implantation of LNCaP tumors: LNCaP cells weregrown as described above. Cells growing subconfluently were collectedand resuspended into the tissue culture medium without fetal bovineserum and antibiotics. After counting the number of the cells, the cellconcentration was adjusted using the same medium. After 20 μl of themedium containing a selected number of cancer cells (about 5×10⁷ cells)had been mixed together with the same volume of Matrigel (BD science,Bedford, Mass.), the combined solution was injected into the skin ofnude mice. The tumor tissue growing subcutaneously was used for surgicalorthotropic implantation of the tumor into nude mice, according to themethod described by Wang et al, (89). The tumor tissue extracted fromthe skin was excised into pieces of about 2 mm diameter. After nude micewere anesthetized by 2,2,2-Tribromoethanol (Aldrich Chemical Co. Inc.,Milwaukee, Wis.), a small incision was made at the abdomen of each mouseand a tumor tissue piece was implanted in the neighbor of the prostateof each mouse. Eight days after the operation, the injection of drugswas initiated, and the drugs were injected intravenously every day forthe indicated periods

Immunocytocheimstry: Cells were cultured on glass cover slips coatedwith poly-L-ornithine (Sigma, Saint Louis, Mo.). At 5 hrs aftertreatment with drugs, the cells were fixed with 10% formaldehyde indiluted in PBS (−) and washed with PBS (−) three times. Afterpermeabilized by 0.2% Tryton X-100 and 1% goat serum diluted in PBS (−),the cells were blocked by PBS (−) containing 5% goat serum. The cellswere then incubated with primary antibodies diluted in PBS (−)containing 0.5% bovine serum albumin (BSA), and with secondaryantibodies, which is either anti-IgG conjugated with fluorescein (VectorLaboratories. Burlingame, Calif.), diluted in PBS (−) containing 0.5%BSA. The cells were observed through Zeiss fluorescent microscope (CarlZeiss, Thornwood, N.Y.).

EXAMPLES

M₄N has undergone Phase I/II clinical trials in patients by intravenousinfusion. Two initial reports of these trials showed that M₄N was ableto cause long term stabilization of disease in some patients. However,tumor shrinkage has rarely been seen in patients following M₄N infusionas only limited amount of the drug can be delivered to tumors in situ bythe method used.

To increase favorable clinical outcomes, several metabolic modulatorshave been administered in conjugation with M₄N, resulting in rapidinduction of tumor apoptosis and reduction of tumor metastases in bothmouse breast cancer and human prostate cancer xenograft models.

Example 1

Effect of M₄N to induce cell death in 4T1 and 67NR cells. 4T1 and 67NRcells are the cell lines derived from subpopulations of a mouse breastcancer (20). These two cell lines were characterized by their differentbehaviors regarding with metastasis. After we had injected either 4T1 or67NR tumor cells into fat pads of mammary glands of Balb/c female mice,we measured the lung metastasis by the clonogenicity assay (80). At 4weeks after injections, we did not detect clones in the lungs from 67NRcells while we detected many clones in the lungs from 4T1 cells in allthe mice examined (data not shown). The data confirmed that 4T1 cellsused in this experiment were more metastatic than 67NR cells, asdescribed earlier (20). Next we examined the effect of M₄N, anddesferoxamine maleate, a chemical known to mimic hypoxic conditions oncell death, by preventing HIE-1a degradation at Normoxia (21% O₂) in 4T1and 67NR cells (42, 43). We measured cell death by TUNEL assay. At 48 hrafter treatment with M₄N we detected more cell death in 67NR cells than4T1 cells (FIGS. 1A & 1B). Desferoxamine (300 μM) enhanced cell deathinduced by M₄N in either 4T1 or 67NR cells. Since we did not detect manyTUNEL-positive cells in 4T1 cells, we measured the effect of M₄N on cellgrowth in 4T1 cells by MTT assay (FIG. 1C). MTT assay showed that M₄Nreduced the cell growth of 4T1 cells depending on the concentration ofthe drug. Even at 20 μM of the drug, there was a significant effect ofthe drug to reduce cell growth. Cell growth stopped at 80 μM, The effectof M₄N on cell growth was evident at 42 hrs after treatment.

Example 2

Effect of M₄N on phosphorylation status of PDK-1/Akt pathway-relatedproteins in 4T1 and 67NR cells. Since we found differences between 4T1and 67NR cells not only in metastasis capability but also susceptibilityto M₄N treatment, we next examined the effect of M₄N and desferoxamineon the phosphorylation status of PDK-1/Akt kinase-related proteins ofthis pathway, which are known to be involved in cell growth and survival(44-47). Strikingly, we found that there were much less phosphorylatedRaf and MEK-P detected in 4T₁ cells compared to that in 67 NR (FIG. 2).In addition, we found that at 5 hrs after treatment there was not mucheffect in 4T1 cells by either M₄N or desferoxamine on the expression ofphosphorylated PDK (Ser²⁴¹), phosphorylated Akt (Ser⁴⁷³), phosphorylatedPRAS40 (Thr²⁴⁶), phosphorylated Raf (Ser²⁵⁹), and phosphorylated MEK(Ser^(217/221)) (FIG. 2). On the contrary, at 5 hrs after treatment withM₄N in 67NR cells there was significant reduction in the expression ofphosphorylated PDK (Ser²⁴¹), phosphorylated Akt (Ser⁴⁷³), phosphorylatedPRAS40 (Thr²⁴⁶), phosphorylated Raf(Ser²⁵⁹), and phosphorylated MEK(Ser^(217/221)) (FIG. 2). PRAS40 (81, 82), Raf (83), and MEK (84) areall downstream phosphorylation targets of Akt. Total Akt expression wasnot changed much by M₄N in either 4T1 or 67NR cells at 5 hrs aftertreatment (FIG. 2). Desferoxamine induced HIF stabilization in both 4T1and 67NR cells, as expected and desferoxamine at 150 μM, a sensor ofhypoxic condition, protects HIF very efficiently in both 4T1 and 67NRcells (39). Desferoxamine-mediated HIF induction was slightly suppressedby M₄N in 4T1 cells while it was instead enhanced by M₄N in 67NR cells(FIG. 2). Overall the data indicates that M₄N suppressedPDK-1/Akt-related protein phosphorylation in 67NR cells while it failedto modulate it in 4T1 cells.

Example 3

Effect of combination treatment of M₄N with PDK-1-related inhibitors, Roor Ly on cell death in 4T1 and 67NR cells. Since we failed to quicklyinduce a substantial amount of TUNEL-positive cell death in 4T1 cells,we examined whether a combination treatment of M₄N with other chemicalsmight be able to induce more cell death in 4T1 cells. For this attempt,we chose Ro and Ly since we observed some difference in the effect ofM₄N on PDK-1/Akt-related protein phosphorylation between 4T1 and 67NRcells (FIG. 2). Neither Ro nor Ly alone induced TUNEL-positive celldeath in either 4T1 or 67NR cells (FIG. 3). However, a combinationtreatment of M₄N and Ly induced more cell death than M₄N treatment alonein either 4T1 or 67NR cells (FIGS. 3A & 3B), Meanwhile Ro greatlyenhanced cell death induced by M₄N in 4T1 cells while it enhanced tosome extent cell death induced by M₄N in 67NR cells as well (FIGS. 3A &3B). Desferoxamine generally augmented cell death even more. We examinedthe effect of pan-caspase inhibitor, zVAD, on the TUNEL-positive celldeath if this cell death was caspase-dependent. The data showed thatzVAD at 50 μM didn't affect TUNEL-positive cell death in either 4T1 or67NR cells (FIGS. 3A & 3C). Then we examined the caspase-9 cleavage. Thedata shows that although a small amount of caspase-9 is activated by Roin 67NR cells and this activation is slightly further augmented by M₄Ntreatment, caspase-9 activation is overall very weak in either 4T1 or67NR cells (FIG. 3D). Overall the data suggest that rapid induction of4T1 and 67NR cells by the combination drug treatment profoundly involvescaspase-independent apoptosis mechanisms. We next examined if thecombination treatment of M₄N with both Ro and Ly induced more cell deaththan M₄N with either Ro or Ly alone. The data indicates that Ro and Lyaugments M₄N-mediated cell death synergistically in 4T1 cells andadditively in 67NR cells (FIGS. 3E & 3F). This supports the conclusionthat M₄N, Ro, and Ly should be useful in combination for anti-cancertreatment.

Example 4

Effect of M₄N, Ro, Ly, and Des on the expression of total PKCδ andphosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁵) in 4T1 or 67NR cells. PKCδ has been known to beinvolved in certain types of cell death (27-29). To see if a synergisticinduction of M₄N-mediated cell death by Ro or Ly occurs through PKCδ, weexamined the expression of PKCδ and its phosphorylated form at Thr⁵⁰⁵residue in 4T1 and 67NR cells at 5 hrs after treatment by the westernblotting using phosphor-specific antibodies. Since TUNEL-positive celldeath is already very evident in 24 hrs after the combination treatmentin this study, we focused on the modifications of PKCδ at 5 hrs afterthe treatment, assuming that the event which causes cell death need tohappen well before the final execution of cell death. Expression oftotal PKCδ protein was not affected much by the drug treatment alone orin different ways of combinations in both 4T1 cells and in 67NR cells.However the amount of phosphorylated PKCδ at Thr⁵⁰⁵ residue aresignificantly increased with M₄N plus Ro and M₄N plus Ly combinations inboth 4T1 and 67NR cells, especially under conditions mimicking hypoxiathrough Desferoxamine treatment (FIGS. 4A & 4B).

Example 5

Cellular localization of total PKCδ mid nuclear translocation ofphosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁵) in 4T1 cells after treatment with M₄N, Ro, Ly,and Des. There were several reports suggesting that translocation ofPKCδ into nuclei was required for induction of apoptosis (32, 33). Itwas also shown that kinase negative full length PKCδ could not beinduced to translocate into nuclei by apoptotic stimuli (32), Thesefindings seem to imply that phosphor-PKCδ localized in nuclei might besomehow involved in the mechanism of apoptosis. As shown in FIGS. 4A and4B, we found that M₄N, Ro, Ly, and Des induced phosphorylation of PKCδat Thr⁵⁰⁵ residue in both 4T1 and 67NR cells. To examine cellulardistribution of both total PKCδ and phosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁵), we performedimmunohistochemical staining in 4T1 cells after combination treatment ofM₄N, Ro, Ly, or Des for 5 hrs (FIGS. 4C & 4D). We observed the totalPKCδ is distributed more in cytoplasm than nuclei in 4T1 cells (FIG.4C). M₄N, Ro, or Ly treatment alone did not change much the cellulardistribution of total PKCδ in the cells. Des did not modulate muchnuclear staining of total PKCδ either (FIG. 4C). However, a combinationtreatment of M₄N with either Ro or Ly in the presence of Des was foundto facilitate the accumulation of phosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁵) in the nucleiin 4T1 cells (FIG. 4D).

Example 6

Without any drug treatment, phosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁵) is distributed ratherdiffusively in 4T1 cells. M₄N treatment augmented staining forphosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁵) in nuclei of the cells (FIG. 4D). Ro alsoaugmented staining for phosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁵) in nuclei. A combinationtreatment of M₄N with Ro markedly augmented nuclear staining forphosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁵) in a very distinctive manner (FIG. 4D). Thenuclear membranous structure was very clearly visible under thiscondition. Although Ly treatment alone did not significantly modulatethe staining in the cells, a combination treatment of M₄N with Lyinduced much more nuclear staining than M₄N treatment alone. Destreatment alone only moderately increased nuclear staining in 4T1 cells.However, Des treatment in combination with M₄N, M₄N plus Ro, or M₄N plusLy markedly augmented nuclear staining in the cells (FIG. 4D).

Example 7

Direct evidence of PKCδ on induction of TUNEL-positive cell death byM₄N, Ro, and Ly. The data described above indicate that M₄N, Ro, and Lymodulate phosphorylation and cellular localization of PKCδ in both 4T1and 67NR cells in less than 5 hrs after treatment. We next examined ifthere is a causal relationship between the action of PKCδ and celldeath. We transfected PKCδ or PKCδ dominant negative (PKCδK376) vectorsand vector alone (control) into either 4T1 or 67NR cells and examinedthe impact of these vectors on cell death induced by the drug treatmentsin combination with M₄N, Ro, and Ly. PKCδ dominant negative vectors aresupposed to interfere in phosphorylation and nuclear translocation ofPKCδ. As shown in FIG. 5, neither the control nor PKCδ dominant negativevectors had much effect on cell death in both 4T1 and 67NR cells withoutdrug treatment. However, transfection of PKCδ vectors induced cell deathin 4T1 cells even without drug treatment (FIG. 5A, (−)).PKCδ vectorsinduced cell death significantly in 4T1 cells but not in 67NR cellswhile vector alone (control) or PKCδK376 have little effect in inductionof cell death in either 4T1 cells or 67NR cells (FIGS. 5A & 5B, (−)).Transfection of PKCδ vectors induced more cell death in both 4T1 and67NR cells that were treated with M₄N than transfection of controlvectors (FIGS. 5A & 5B). Either Ro or Ly induced cell deathsynergistically with M₄N in both 4T1 and 67NR cells that had beentransfected with control vectors, in the same way as in the cellswithout transfection of any vectors (FIG. 5A). Transfection of PKCδvectors induced more cell death in both 4T1 and 67NR cells that weretreated with M₄N plus Ro or M₄N plus Ly than transfection of controlvectors (FIGS. 5A & 5B). On the contrary, PKCδ dominant negative vectors(PKCδ K376) overall reduced the cell death induced by M₄N, M₄N plus Ro,or M₄N plus Ly treatment in both 4T1 and 67NR cells (FIGS. 5A & 5B). Wehave also examined the effect of Genistein (50 μM), known as the generalSrc tyrosine kinase inhibitor, on TUNEL-positive cell death induced bythe combination treatment of M₄N with either Ro or Ly in 4T1 cells (91).The data indicates that Genistein significantly suppressed the celldeath (FIG. 5C).

Example 8

Effect of combination treatment of M₄N with Ro on the life-span andtumor sizes in Balb/c mice inoculated with either 4T1 or 67NR cells.Lastly, we examined if the benefit of the combination treatment by M₄Nwith Ro can be applicable to the in vivo study. Ro has been safelyadministered to mice by intranasal instillations in other studies. Inthis study, we used intravenous injection of drugs instead of intranasalinstillations using CPE (25/30) solvent system for both M₄N and Ro. Wefirst inoculated 5×10⁴ of either 4T1 or 67NR cells into fat pads ofmammary glands of Balb/c mice and examined if the drugs could elongatethe life-span of these mice. We started to treat mice with drugs sevenor eight days after the inoculation of 4T1 or 67NR cells respectively.We injected drugs three days a week after the initiation of drugtreatment. Although either M₄N or Ro alone didn't extend the life-spanof 4T1-bearing mice, a combination treatment of M₄N with Ro extended thelife span of these mice (FIG. 6A). A similar tendency was found in miceinoculated with 67NR cells as well. As expected, mice overall survivedlonger with 67NR than 4T1 cell inoculations. While M₄N or Ro alonedidn't have much effect on the life-span of 67NR-bearing mice, acombination treatment of M₄N with Ro overall extended the life span ofthe mice (FIG. 6B).

Example 9

Since 4T1 cells are very aggressive and kill mice in only two or threeweeks period under this experimental condition, we examined the effectof a combination treatment by M₄N and Ro on mice inoculated with asmaller number of 4T1 cells with more extensive chemotherapy protocol.In the next experiment we inoculated only 5×10³ cells instead of 5×10⁴cells into fat pads of mammary glands of Balb/c mice. And also westarted to inject the drugs three days after the inoculation of thecancer instead of seven days and we injected drugs six days a weekinstead of three days a week. Even with 5×10³ cells per fat pad, 4T1cells killed all the mice without treatment only in 2 to 5.5 weeks afterthe inoculation of the cells. On the contrary, the first mouse among thetreatment group died almost 5 weeks after the inoculation of the cells.Overall the combination treatment extended the life-span of mice about12 days (FIG. 7A). The tumor size was compared at 18 days after theinoculation of the cancer between the control group and the treatmentgroup. The data shows that the tumor size was significantly smaller inthe treatment group than the control group (FIG. 7B).

Example 10

Effect of combination treatment of M₄N with Ro on the metastasis to thelungs in Balb/c mice inoculated with 4T1 cells, measured by theclonogenicity assay. The clonogenicity assay was performed for the lungsfrom the mice either non-treated or treated with M₄N plus Ro at 18 daysafter the inoculation of 5×10³ 4T1 cells into fat pads. The validity ofthis assay was confirmed by the experiment to compare metastatic abilitybetween 4T1 and 67NR cells (data not shown). The data shows that thelung metastasis was extremely small in treated mice while lungmetastasis was already very prevalent in the control mice (FIG. 7C).

Example 11

Effect of M₄N, Ro, and Ly on the cell death and growth and the cellularlocalization of total PKCδ and phosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁷) in LNCaP humanprostate cancer cells. In the previous examples, we showed that Ro or Lysynergistically improved tumoricidal effect of M₄N in mouse breastcancer cell lines, 4T1 and 67NR. Here we examined the effect of Ro andLy on TUNEL-positive cell death induced by M₄N in LNCaP human prostatecancer cells as an example for the application of the combinationtreatment to human cancer cells. As found in 4T1 and 67NR mouse breastcancer cells, either Ro or Ly synergistically augmented cell deathinduced by M₄N in LNCaP cells while Ro or Ly alone has no effect (FIG.8A) and cell death induced by M₄N alone was also very small. On theother hand the MTT assay indicated that M₄N treatment alone was able toreduce cell growth almost as much as a combination treatment of M₄N witheither Ro or Ly (FIG. 8B). A single treatment with either Ro or Ly alsosuppressed cell growth to some extent. In three cancer cell lines thatwe have studied so far, our data clearly indicated that although M₄Nalone was able to stop cancer cell growth, rapid cell death could beachieved only when M₄N was used in combination with Ro and/or Ly (FIGS.8A & B). We next examined the cellular localization of PKCδ andphosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁷) in LNCaP cells treated with M₄N, Ro, and Ly for 5hrs. Neither M₄N, Ro, nor Ly treatment caused any remarkable change inthe expression of total PKCδ (FIG. 8C) However, the combinationtreatment of M₄N with either Ro or Ly induced substantial increase intotal PKCδ in the nuclei (FIG. 8C). The nuclear expression ofphosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁷) was augmented by either Ro or M₄N treatment (FIG.8D). A combination treatment of M₄N with Ro induced more nuclearexpression of phosphor-PKCδ (Thr⁵⁰⁷) than either Ro or M₄N singletreatment (FIG. 8D). The extent of nuclear expression of PKCδ seems tobe well correlated with the degree of the cell death under eachcondition (FIGS. 8A & 8C).

Example 12

Effect of combination treatment of M₄N with Ly on the life-span in nude(nu/nu) mice orthotropically implanted with LNCaP tumors. In theaccompanied paper we already showed that Ro improved the anti-cancereffect of M₄N on mouse breast cancer cells. Here we applied thesynergistic induction of cell death by M₄N and Ly observed under tissueculture condition to the animal experiments, using human prostate cancercell line LNCaP. Ly was already safely administered to miceintraperitoneally before (60, 6). In this study we administered M₄N andLy dissolved into the solution by using CPE (25/30) solvent system tomice intravenously (87). LNCaP tumors were orthotropically implantedinto the vicinity of the prostate of nude mice. We started to treat themice with a combination treatment of M₄N and Ly eight days after theimplantation of LNCaP cells. Some tumors started to appear under theskin, especially in the abdomen, for both control and treated mice.While these tumors appeared under the skin all over the body in thecontrol group, they appeared only in the lower abdomen area in the micetreated with the combination (FIGS. 9 & 10). All the mice injected withonly vehicles died between 38 and 53 days after the tumor implantation.On the contrary, all the mice injected with M₄N and Ly survived at 76days after the tumor implantation (FIG. 11A). The size of these tumorsincreased very rapidly in the control mice while it increased veryslowly in the treated mice (FIG. 11B). All the control mice died ofcancer in 5 to 8 weeks after tumor transplantation. Most of the micefrom the control group already developed severe lung metastasis whenthey died (FIG. 11C, a-d). To compare the condition of the lung betweenthe control and the treatment group, we killed some of the treated miceat 11 weeks after tumor transplantation. Unlike the lungs from thecontrol group, those from the treatment group were devoid of obviousmetastasis lesions (FIG. 11C, e-g). We examined the tumor lesions in theprostate region and those on the skin in the abdomen area in the treatedmice that were killed at 11 weeks after tumor implantation. The picturesshow the inside of the tumors that had been cut by the scalpel (FIG.11D). In most of the tumor lesions there were cavities inside. Theregion inside the tumor capsules was filled with white connective-tissuelike materials. We examined the histology of metastasis lesions in thelungs and the skins (FIG. 12). While we found very clear metastasislesions in the lungs in 6 out of 8 control mice (FIG. 12A, a-h), wedidn't find any metastasis lesions in the lungs of any mice treated withM₄N and Ro (0 out of 4 mice) (FIG. 12A, i-l). While the tumors in theskins from the treated mice have large areas with lymphocyte infusionsat their centers (FIG. 12B, i-l), those from the control mice only havevery small areas with lymphocyte infusions (FIG. 12B, a-g).

Example 13

The tumors under the abdominal skin in the mice treated with M₄N and Lywere small in the first 6 weeks (FIG. 10). However, the tumors increasedin size after the first 6 weeks even with the treatment of M₄N and Ly,We picked up one mouse (T8) to see if additional treatment with Ro mighthelp to reduce the size of these tumors (FIG. 13). The treatment withM₄N, Ro, and Ly started at 9 weeks after the inoculation of tumors,Although the size of abdominal tumors was rapidly increasing between 6and 9 weeks after the tumor inoculation, the tumors started to shrinkvery rapidly just after we changed the drug treatment from M₄N and Lycombination to M₄N, Ro, and Ly combination (FIG. 13B).

Example 14

Dosage dependent effect of M₄N, Ro, and Ly on the cell death in LNCaPcells. We examined the effect of M₄N, Ro, and Ly on cell death in LNCaPcells at many different concentrations of these drugs. This is anecessary step for applying this combination treatment to clinicalusage. The data shows that M₄N induced cell death synergistically witheither Ro or Ly in LNCaP cells in a very broad range of concentrationsof the drugs (FIGS. 14A & B), Both Ro and Ly remained non-cytotoxic intissue culture under this condition. The presence of either Ro or Lymade it possible for M₄N to achieve great deal of cell death at lowerconcentrations of M₄N than in the absence of it.

Example 15

Effect of Etoposide, Dichloroacetate, and Rapamycin on TUNEL-positivecell death induced by M₄N in LNCaP cells. To explore other possibledrugs to be combined with M₄N, we examined if Etoposide,Dichloroacetate, or Rapamycin can synergistically augment cell deathwith M₄N (FIGS. 12, 15 & 16). We selected these drugs based on thespeculations described in the introduction. The data indicates thateither Etoposide, Dichloroacetate, or Rapamycin synergisticallyaugmented TUNEL-positive cell death induced by M₄N in 24 hrs, aspredicted from their action on cellular metabolism (FIGS. 14C, D, E &F). A combination treatment of M₄N (40 μM) with Rapamycin induced almosta hundred percent cell death in LNCaP cells at 48 hrs after treatment(FIG. 14F). This indicates that less than 40 μM M₄N would be enoughunder clinical conditions for the treatment to be effective.

Example 16

Effect of combination treatment of M₄N with either Ly, Ro plus Ly,Etoposide, or Rapamycin on the life-span and lung metastasis in nude(nu/nu) mice orthotropically implanted with LNCaP tumors. We applied thesynergistic induction of cell death by M₄N with either Ly, Ro plus Ly,Etoposide, or Rapamycin observed under tissue culture conditions toanimal experiments (FIGS. 14 & 15). As in the previous experiment (FIGS.9 to 13), in this study we administered M₄N, Ly, Ro, Etoposide, orRapamycin to mice intravenously using CPE (25/30) solvent system (87).LNCaP tumors were orthotropically implanted into the vicinity of theprostate of nude mice as in the previous studies (FIGS. 9 to 13).However, in this experiment we implanted about eight times the volume oftumors as in the previous experiments to detect the difference ofefficacy of various combination treatments much faster. We started totreat the mice with combination treatments three days after theimplantation instead of eight days, considering that the tumor volume isalready large at the time of implantation in this experiment. Thisallows less time for possible metastasis to the transplanted tumors inthis experiment than in the previous one. All the control mice died by21 days after implantation of LNCaP tumors. All the mice treated withEtoposide alone died by 24 days after the implantation while all themice treated with M₄N alone died by 33 days. The combination treatmentof M₄N with Ly improved the survival of tumor-bearing mice although allthe mice eventually died by 51 days (FIG. 15A). This is an improvementcompared with the survival time in the mice treated with either M₄N orLy alone. Three combination treatment of M₄N, Ro, and Ly improvedsurvival rate greatly. All the mice except for one in this group (8 outof 9) survived beyond 70 days after the implantation (FIG. 15A).Meanwhile ail the mice treated with M₄N and either Etoposide (9 out of9) or Rapamycin (5 out of 5) survived beyond 70 days after theimplantation (FIG. 15B). This is a great improvement compared with thesurvival time in the mice treated with either M₄N, Etoposide, orRapamycin alone.

Example 17

Effect of the combination treatment on the lung metastasis (FIG. 15C).The lungs of the control mice very often showed massive metastaticlesions (4 out of 5). On the contrary, the lungs from the mice treatedwith the combination treatment of M₄N with either Ro plus Ly orEtoposide did not show any obvious metastasis at 80 days after the tumorimplantation (0 out of 5 and 0 out of 3 respectively). The lungs fromthe mice treated with either Etoposide alone, M₄N alone, or M₄N plus Lyshowed some metastasis lesions (3 out of 5, 2 out of 4, and 2 out of 8respectively). The data clearly showed that all Ly, Ro, and Etoposidehad capability to improve anti-cancer activity of M₄N against LNCaPcells in animal experiments.

Example 18

Effect of the combination treatment of M₄N with either Ro or Rapamycinin various tissue culture cell lines. Lastly, we examined thecombination effect of M₄N with either Ro or Rapamycin in various tissueculture cells to see if these combination treatments are applicable tomany tumor cells other than LNCaP cells. The data shows that thecombination treatments effectively induce quick cell death in many tumorcell lines derived from various organs (FIGS. 16A & B).

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that variations andmodifications may be made to the invention described herein to adopt itto various usages and conditions. Such embodiments are also within thescope of the following claims.

The recitation of a listing of elements in any definition of a variableherein includes definitions of that variable as any single element orcombination (or subcombination) of listed elements. The recitation of anembodiment herein includes that embodiment as any single embodiment orin combination with any other embodiments or portions thereof.

All references, including patents, websites, programs, databases andpublications, mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated byreference to the same extent as if each independent patent andpublication was specifically and individually indicated to beincorporated by reference.

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We claim:
 1. A pharmaceutical anti-tumor composition comprising asynergistically effective amount of a derivative of nordihydroguaiareticacid (NDGA) comprising tetra-o-methyl tetra-O-methylnordihydroguaiaretic acid (M4N) or maltose-M3N and a synergisticallyeffective amount of a metabolic modulator, wherein the metabolicmodulator is selected from the group consisting of Ly294002, rottlerin,dichloroacetate, and rapamycin, and the water soluble derivatives ofrapamycin, everolimus and temsirolimus.
 2. A method of treating a tumor,comprising administering to a mammal having said tumor an effectiveamount of the pharmaceutical composition of claim
 1. 3. The method ofclaim 2 wherein the tumor is selected from the group consisting ofbreast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer and ovariancancer.
 4. A method of inhibiting tumor growth in a mammal, said methodcomprising administering to said mammal a synergistically effectiveamount of a nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) derivative comprisingtetra-o-methyl tetra-O-methyl nordihydroguaiaretic acid (M4N) ormaltose-M3N; and a synergistically effective amount of a metabolicmodulator, wherein the metabolic modulator is selected from the groupconsisting of Ly294002, rottlerin, dichloroacetate, and rapamycin, andthe water soluble derivatives of rapamycin, everolimus and temsirolimus.5. The method of claim 4 wherein the mammal is a human, cat, dog ormouse.
 6. The method of claim 4 wherein the tumor is selected from thegroup consisting of breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, coloncancer and ovarian cancer.
 7. The method of claim 2 wherein themetabolic modulator is selected from: rapamycin, and the water solublederivatives of rapamycin, everolimus and temsirolimus.
 8. The method ofclaim 3 wherein the metabolic modulator is selected from: rapamycin, andthe water soluble derivatives of rapamycin, everolimus and temsirolimus.9. The method of claim 7 wherein the metabolic modulator is selectedfrom: everolimus and temsirolimus.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein themetabolic modulator is everolimus.
 11. The method of claim 4 wherein themetabolic modulator is selected from: rapamycin, and the water solublederivatives of rapamycin, everolimus and temsirolimus.
 12. The method ofclaim 11 wherein the metabolic modulator is selected from: everolimusand temsirolimus.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the metabolicmodulator is everolimus.
 14. The method of claim 6 wherein the metabolicmodulator is selected from: rapamycin, and the water soluble derivativesof rapamycin, everolimus and temsirolimus.